Early Access to Physiotherapy Program: Information for employers
If your business has an active return-to-work program, you may be eligible to take part in our Early Access to Physiotherapy Program (EAPP).
The EAPP:
- Provides workers who have sustained a sprain or strain injury at work with quick access to an EAPP physiotherapist, as early as the day of injury.
- Allows you, as the employer, to partner with a physiotherapy clinic (or clinics) in your area. The partner clinic will assess and treat your injured workers with the goal of helping them stay at work and recover on the job.
- How to get started
- Who can participate
- How the program works
- Frequently asked questions
- Need help?
- Resources
How to get started
To see if your workplace can participate in the EAPP, contact our Consultation and Education team in Return to Work Services. The team can determine if you’re eligible and help set you up in the program.
Who can participate
To participate in the program, employers and workers must meet certain requirements.
Employer requirements
Your workplace may be eligible for EAPP if you have an active return-to-work program in place that includes:
- Offering safe and suitable work on the day of injury.
- Consistent communication with the injured worker, starting at the time of injury and continuing throughout their recovery.
- A dedicated return-to-work coordinator or an assigned contact person who handles claims.
As the employer, you’re responsible for collaborating with the injured worker to identify suitable work and implement the return-to-work plan.
For information on how you can support a worker’s successful return to work, see Employers: Return-to-work information. For practical tips and links to helpful templates, see Managing a Safe Return to Work.
Worker requirements
To be eligible, ensure that the injured worker:
- Is an employee of your company and is not a contractor.
- Is aware of the EAPP, and its purpose and benefits.
- Has experienced a recent soft-tissue injury that resulted from a specific incident at work.
- Reports the injury to their supervisor or first aid attendant within 72 hours.
- Contacts WorkSafeBC and establishes a claim.
- Understands and participates in your company's return-to-work program.
How the program works
The EAPP works alongside your company’s established return-to-work (RTW) program to help workers recover and return to work as soon as it’s safe to do so.
Program overview:
- As the employer, you’ll select a pre-approved EAPP physiotherapy clinic (or clinics) to set up a provider agreement and partnership.
- You’ll meet with the clinic(s) to discuss a partnership, review the principles document, and confirm your agreement. You may also provide them with an orientation of your workplace and existing return-to-work program.
- Once you have an EAPP in place, you’ll communicate the details of the program to workers, union(s) if applicable, and supervisors.
- If a worker sustains a sprain or strain injury work, the partner clinic will provide an initial treatment and assess the injured worker’s functional abilities.
- The partner clinic will give you a functional abilities assessment form that outlines the worker’s current capabilities and ensures your offer of suitable work is appropriate and matches the injured worker’s current functional abilities.
By encouraging and supporting injured workers to recover on the job and stay connected to the workplace, you’re investing in the long-term success of both your business and your workers.
To learn more about the responsibilities of employers and physiotherapy clinics, see the EAPP Principles of Agreement.
Frequently asked questions
A sprain or strain is an injury to the muscles, ligaments, and tendons, and is often characterized by swelling, loss of function, and pain (also known as a soft-tissue or musculoskeletal injury [MSI]).
There are no out-of-pocket expenses charged by WorkSafeBC to you as an employer. The cost for this service will be added to your overall claims costs and incorporated into your premium calculation. However, the partnering physiotherapy clinic may ask you to cover the costs associated with an orientation to your worksite and return-to-work program or the cost of travel for coaching.
Costs for the initial assessment, completing of the functional abilities assessment, and ongoing treatments for accepted claims are covered by WorkSafeBC.
Please note that WorkSafeBC does not cover the EAPP costs when:
- The injury is caused by a repetitive activity over time, and not a specific incident.
- WorkSafeBC denies or suspends the worker’s claim. In this case, the initial assessment will be covered by WorkSafeBC but any additional treatments will be the responsibility of the employer.
- You’re objecting to WorkSafeBC’s acceptance of the claim.
- A new medical diagnosis prevents the worker from participating in physiotherapy treatment or falls outside of the program criteria.
Identifying suitable work is part of a return-to-work plan that outlines the job duties a worker will do week to week until they can safely return to their former duties and hours of work. The goal is to identify duties that are safe, productive, and consistent with the worker’s skills and abilities.
For information on how you can support a worker’s successful return to work, see Employers: Return-to-work information. For practical tips and links to helpful templates, see Managing a Safe Return to Work.
Need help?
Please contact our Consultation and Education team in Return to Work Services if you:
- Are unsure if you qualify for the Early Access to Physiotherapy Program
- Want to learn how you can participate in the Early Access to Physiotherapy Program
- Are looking for return-to-work training and education
- Need additional assistance
The team can help determine if you're eligible to participate and help you set up the program.
Resources
Early Access to Physiotherapy Program (EAPP) - Principles of Agreement (Form 65M118A)
To ensure your EAPP is successful, all stakeholders have an important role to play in following the principles and guidelines of return to work best practices.
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Early Access to Physiotherapy Program (EAPP) - Initial Physio Assessment Referral (Form 65M118B)
Please send this completed form to the physiotherapy clinic and upload it to the WorkSafeBC online services Employer Portal.
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Managing a Safe Return to Work
This guide provides tips and templates to help employers put a seamless process in place for handling workplace injuries and helping employees get back to work safely.
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